Last thoughts on Labour Pain

The key is that you should be realistic about labour pain. For most women labour and giving birth is painful.

Things to remember are:

• That a woman’s experience of pain involves many factors and complexities and while most will describe labour as ‘painful’, this does not necessarily mean it was an unpleasant experience.
• The description of labour pain is widely variable; it may be that other women’s stories will leave you feeling no closer to fully understanding what your labour pain will be like. Your ‘benchmark’ will only truly be established once you have experienced labour yourself. It could also be a very empowering experience.
• Unrealistic and inflexible expectations can place unnecessary pressure on you. For some women, when the labour and birth don’t meet their expectations, feelings of disappointment, depression or even anger can be felt in the days, weeks, or months after the birth.
• Be realistic about your labour pain. Just as fears and concerns can encourage you to source out and embrace different strategies for support, so too will being realistic about what your labour could bring.
• Allow your body to move with labour pain, do not fight it, as this can intensify your perception of the pain.
• And remember, labour pain is not constant; it comes and goes, allowing the labouring mother to rest in-between the contractions.